Zamboni Retirement Campaign

Our aging fleet of Zambonis

In 1998, Glacier Ice Rink acquired a 10-year old Zamboni ice resurfacing machine named Ethel. When the second sheet opened in 2007, we purchased another used machine, Martha, for $26,000. In 2008, we received Vera, our first new Zamboni. We still have all three machines, and between them, they have 23,380 hours of use. That’s equivalent to 935,200 miles on a car!

Ethel

Age 30
Ethel is our oldest (and smallest) machine, built in 1988. She has 8,715 hours of use, which is equivalent to nearly 348,600 miles on a car.

Martha

Age 24
Martha is our outdoor machine, built in 1994. She has 8,444 hours of use, which is 337,760 miles on a car.

Vera

Age 10
Vera, our primary machine, was donated by Kathy Ogren & Toyota Motors in 2008. She has 6,221 hours of use, which is equivalent to 248,840 miles on a car.

The need for a new resurfacer

Most municipal rinks replace their ice resurfacing machines every five years. Our youngest machine is 10 years old! Due to their advanced age, all three machines experience frequent mechanical issues and are becoming expensive to maintain. This season alone, we’ve spent nearly $5,000 on repairs and anticipate another $4,000. They are also creating exhaust problems and poor ice conditions, which jeopardizes the safety of our customers and delays our ice schedule.

To ensure efficient continued operations, we need a new Zamboni. This will become our primary indoor resurfacer, and allow us to retire Ethel, nearly 20 years after she joined us. Vera will remain as our outside machine and Martha will become the back-up, should the other two fail.

Help us purchase a new machine

A new Zamboni 526 model costs $100,000. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on the generosity of donors to help us fund capital projects such as this. Last year, we raised just over $20,000 from private donations and proceeds from the Big Sky Brewing concert series. We are now asking our ice community to help us raise the remaining $100,000 by May 2019. This gives us time to order a new machine and have it by September for our 2019-2020 season.

Donate to our Zamboni Retirement Fund!

Donors who give $100 or more will be recognized on signage displayed at the rink and can sign the new Zamboni! Donors of $250 or more receive additional benefits (listed below). However, donations of any amount are greatly appreciated!